1) Field of the Invention:
The invention relates to the means and methods for the development of a transformable food container lid, or its contents' containment membrane material, into a convenient and functional spoon-like utensil for the consumption of the contained food product.
2) Description of Related Art:
There have been numerous patent attempts, known by the related art, to create a suitable utensil to be packaged with food products. These attempts however, have failed to provide the superior advantages of this invention.    U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,779 Chang discloses a spoon attached diagonally on the bottom side of a rectangular container lid, which renders it totally unacceptable for use in the mass produced single-serve food product market.    U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,925 Ruff discloses a flat paper lid, convertible through numerous complex manipulations, into a crude paddle-like utensil not suitable for use in the mass produced single-serve food product market.    U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,176 Tobiasson discloses “A food container lid . . . which is convertible into a spoon” utilizing the lid material as the spoon, after peeling a section from within the lid proper, and not suitable for use in the mass produced single-serve food product market.    U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,010 Ruff discloses a “container lid convertible into a spoon” which would not be satisfactory for use in the mass produced single-serve food product market.    U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,988 Burke discloses a container lid that includes a spoon-like tab, very similar to the “tongue-like” projection of the U.S. Pat. No. 8,210,010 Cross spoon. However, neither provide a spoon-like utensil suitable for use in the mass produced single-serve food product market.    U.S. Pat. No. 8,210,381 Cross discloses a self-contained, monolithic utensil which can be used either independently or attached to the top of a containers' containment membrane, and therefore, actually becomes the containers' second lid. It would be practically impossible to incorporate the Cross utensil beneath the containers' containment membrane, and would likely increase the product packaging cost beyond economic feasibility.
Of all the patents cited, three have relative interest, U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,176 Tobiasson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,988 Burke, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,210,381 Cross, in that they all teach the incorporation of a spoon-like utensil into, or onto, the lids of food containers. However, all of these solutions fall short of providing the superior advantages of this invention for use in the mass produced single-serve food product market.